CANTERBURY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 925, 14 March 1868, Page 3

CANTERBURY.

IK "reference to the financial condition of the province, the Press of February 26th. remarks : — " Mr, Stewart made his financial statement last night, the most important part of which was that which referred to the unrealised portion of the loan. It appears that the balance in the hands of the Colonial Treasurer for negotiation Under the Public D Lls Act is £266,600, which, deducting £30,000 apS>rtioned to the Timaru and Gladstone oard of. Works, leaves £236,600. Of this,, the Government expect to have an overdraft at the Bank of £96,860, and propose to expend during the financial year £38,300 on the Lyttelton and Christchurch railway ; of which £9500 is payable under contract ; £13,000 on the Great Southern [Railway ; £5150 on harbour works ; £5000 on the Hurunui bridge and Northern bridges damaged by floods ; £8000. on protective works against the overflow of the Waimakariri. These sums make a total, of £69,450; which, added to the overdraft, makes £166,310, leaving a balance still to be appropriated of £70,289. This is the "poor remains of the half million loan, which was to give us a railway to the North, a railway 'to the South, and a complete system of harbor works." THE FLOOD IST THE ELLESMEKE DISTBICT. . A correspondent writing from the Ellesmere district, beyond the. Selwyn, after specifying several instances of individual lqsses by, the floods, says :- — " Altogether there are 261 acres of wheat either carried away wholesale or rendered utterly iiseless; andthis too, with the exception of some near, the lake, was the best crop in the?, district. , There are about 12,000 bushels or wheat, gone, representing a value of £3000, besides which 28 acres of. barley, worth £341, and 106 acres of oats, amounting to 0230 bushels, worth £523, have been either swept, into the lake or wholly spoiled. The principal private losses, not including £250 or £300 worth of fencing, amount to something over £5000.^ Between £300 and £400 will cover the damage done to public property bythe flood." Our correspondent states..,, that the river Selwyn overflowed above and below the railway bridge, where the banks are exceedingly flat, and took a course of about sixty chains hi width, with a depth of five feet, finding its way to Lake Ellesrnere, a distance of twelve miles. There has been a political crisis in Canterbury, and on the. 2nd inst. Mr. Montgomery announced that he had communicated with some of the members of the Council and had been able to form a Ministry, composed of the following members — Mr. Jollie, Provincial Secretary ; Mr. Wyrin Williams, Provincial Solicitor ; Mr. Ormsby holding a seat in the Executive without office; and himself as Provincial Treasurer ; arid he hoped that their efforts would lead to the advantage of the province. ATTEMPTED ESCAPE FEOM LTTTELTON GAOL. A PBISONEE STABBED TO DEATH. The Press of the 4th inst. says :—Yesterday morning a prisoner named John Burnside attempted his escape from custody* , It appears that on going to work 'af about 8 a.m. yesterday, prisoner was missed by a warder named Fox, who informed a fellow warder of the fact of the escape. The warder (Anderson) pursued the^prisoner, and a severe struggle ensued, in ttie . course of* which the prisoner received a bayonet wound, from which he died: An inquest was held on the body at the Lyttelton gaol at, 1 p.m. yesterday, before Dr. Coward, one of the (Soroners for the district, and a jury of twelve, six of whom were prisoners ; Mr. George Tayler was elected foreman. The following evidence was adduced : — Robert Anderson deposed — I am a warder in Lyttelton gaol. Directly after going to the Point this morning, at a few - minutes past eight a.m., "Walter Fox, another warder, told me to follow Burnside, ; who had escaped, I sighted deceased (Burnside) • by Sticking Point, and challenged him. He would not stop, but got round the When I got to the point he was going towards the old magazine. I again challenged him. He looked round, ; and took no further notice of my challenge; I then, fired at his legs, but missed „him. I still challenged him, but he still ran away. He made for the bush, I took a short cut to stop him. I met him, and again challenged him, and told him to surrender, and come in to, gaol. He said, ?' No, he was d — — if he would." I fixed .my bayonet, and he then told me if I touched him with it he would take the rifle from me, and break it across my head. I got before him, and charged him down .the. hill" on to the road. .. He stooped to lift a stone, and when coming down a bank to, get oh to the road he took up a stone and a piece of clay. When on the road I told him to go towards the prison, when ■ ,he.. ; said, " He would see me d first, and that if I attempted to stab him, he '' would knock out my brains." I kept him P there for some time in conversation, to see if I could see any one coming along the road. He tried to take the rifle from me and .to pass me. He made a rush at me. " I guarded him off. He threw a stone at me. In the struggle I tried to stab him in the left arm. I think I also touched • him on the left shoulder. He swerved at the time, and in the struggle I touched him in various parts. He said, "You — — , you have stabbed me now ;" I said, " I am very sorry for it, but you see you • have got it done for yourself. He went across the road and sat down. I saw he . was wounded and in a weak state. I then left him and met Mr. Jones, who took , charge of shim. I came down for some men and brought deceased down ; he was dead when I returned. After some fur- , ther evidence had been taken, the jury re- • turned a verdict of "Justifiable homicide."